“I am trying to offer a gift to the city!”

Taipa Village Art Space is honoured to invite local graffiti pioneer P.I.B.G. (street mark and signature tag for “Pat Is Bombing Graffiti”) to present his first solo show P.I.B.G.: On the Verge to mark its official opening. The exhibition aims to blur the boundaries between two distinct worlds relating to art, space, morality and social issues. It attempts to reconcile these often conflicting and contradictory spheres by deploying a range of antagonistic concepts that convey the sense that art is what matters.

P.I.B.G. has been creating graffiti since the late 1990s. In the meanwhile, he got training in sculpture, calligraphy, modern painting and graphic design. Since 2000, he travelled to mainland China, Australia, Thailand, UK, France, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong for creative activities and a dozen of collective exhibitions. In 2004, he founded Macau’s first graffiti art group, GANTZ5, with like-minded fellow artists. GANTZ5 has become one of the most influential art collectives on China’s graffiti scene, and P.I.B.G. has represented it in collaborations with numerous fashion and lifestyle brands such as Moschino, Nike, Vans, Red Bull, HKWall and Stage. His work has also been featured in Macau’s Cotai resorts including The Venetian Macao and SOHO at City of Dreams Macau.

Curator’s Statement

Pat Is Bombing Graffiti is the tag, or signature, and the subliminal statement behind the acronym used by the artist as his street mark.

The exhibition P.I.B.G.: On the Verge aims to blur the boundaries that reside in the dichotomy of two distinct worlds in reference to art, space, morality and social issues. We attempt to address these clashing spheres through the following antagonistic concepts: fine art versus street art, the collector versus the scavenger, the risk-taker versus the comfort zone, the pioneer versus the follower, the conventional versus the visionary, the connoisseur versus the amateur, the grey background versus the coloured foreground, the precision of the ruler versus the freehand drawing, the self-taught versus the formally schooled, anonymity versus authorship, interior versus exterior, the air-conditioned environment versus an environment exposed to the elements, immaculate white walls versus a cracked, rough surface, the transient versus the permanent, the public realm versus private space, the dry versus the wet, silence versus hectic noise, the expected versus the unforeseen, sinuous curves versus straight lines, boring streets versus vivid landscapes, intensity versus lethargy, playgrounds versus abandoned land plots, emptiness versus the inhabited, the believer versus the sceptic, the narcissist versus the altruist, the parent versus the adolescent, the pessimistic versus the optimistic, the proactive versus the passive, respect versus abuse, the charming lie versus the cruel truth, childish thinking versus mature conscience, critical posture versus common consent, the rich versus the poor, the outlaw versus the privileged, consumption versus common goods, the prohibited versus the permissive, the individual versus the collective, social responsibility versus the inconsequential act, the ordered system versus anarchy, political correctness versus freedom of expression, urgency versus the prevailing status, and so on and so forth. As a result, this exhibition claims that art is what matters, and it will be presented to society in its necessary form.

Joao Ó

On The Verge

The classical aesthetics are often reinterpreted in the coexistence of two antagonistic elements and techniques – such as between playful and glamourous colors; between sketch and graffiti styles.

Art-less/ful

“Artless” or “Artful” lie in the value and perception of the audience.

It depends on the audience’s perception to determine whether it is Artless or Artful. “Art” serves as the common factor of these two distinct characteristics that can be addressed in the controversial issue between graffiti art and conventional art.